Tonight I finalized the layout and images for my
Star Citizen Journal . .
. my this newest section is not officially online (even through it
has been online for over a week, as I worked to get the layout
right). Stop by and check out my latest focus.

October 16, 2014:

I know that my website has lost its focus for the past few years,
and I apologize for that. But I've been working hard to get things
back on track again. The big news is that I have finally discovered
a new game that I've become passionate in . . . even though it won't
be released for a while yet.

To explain all this in detail, I wrote the new "Time
for a New Focus" column on the right, about where this website
is now heading. I really looking forward to beginning a whole new
journey and writing about a totally different kind of adventure, as
my newest character(s) explores her biggest and most dangerous realm
yet. The future looks bright again. :)

October 11, 2014:

I have been making regular updates to my
Flightsim Journal since my last news post here (so I have
actually been making updates on this site, even though I keep
forgetting to update this news section).

July 15, 2014:

I had a rather tough time since late last year, and for the past few
months I had to put things like updating this website on hold, while
I took care of getting my life back together. I won't bore you all
with the details, but things are much better now, and I'm working on
some new projects.

My rebuilt and greatly expanded
Flightsim Journal went online tonight. Previously this only
covered Microsoft Flight, but my new focus is on Lockheed Martin's
Prepar3D. This has taken a lot of my time and effort over the last
few months, and there are still a few sections that are mostly just
place markers for future content. But my new Flightsim Journal
already includes a new
Flightsim Home Page, an updated MS Flight section, and a
brand new Prepar3D section.

Added October 16, 2014:
The main focus of my website has always been centered around
my favorite computer role playing games; and over time, I
have altered that focus to reflect the RPG that I was
currently spending the most time on. [Yes, there are other
part of my website, like my Flightsim section, and my
Outdoor Recreation section, and my Bio and Girl Gamer
sections . . . but the RPGs have always been the main
focus.]

My website began with Morrowind, then my focus
changed to Oblivion, and then to Fallout 3 (and FONV), and
finally to Skyrim. So my last change of focus was when
shortly before Skyrim was released, but when the game came
out, my focus went out of focus a bit. This was partially
because Skyrim wasn't the RPG that I hoped it would be; but
mainly because it ran so poorly on my computer. I struggled
with Skyrim and tried to make it my main focus for nearly a
year, until shifting my attention back the the two Fallout
games. I now own a much better gaming PC, but Skyrim had
been out for almost two years by the time that I owned a
computer that was able to run it well . . . and by then it
was too late. I tried, but I could never seem to get excited
about Skyrim again.

All the RPGs that I focused on are Bethesda
titles, and their game have provided me with countless hours
of enjoyment, but perhaps it is time to shift my focus to
something totally different. For nearly three years now
(Skyrim was released on 11/11/11) this website has been a
bit unfocused . . . and so have I.

During the past two years, I've been playing a number of
other games, including all three Mass Effect games. I really
enjoyed Mass Effect, and got pretty immersed in that game's
universe. It is a great RPG, but decided early on that I
didn't want to create a Mass Effect Journal, mainly because
I was a bit late in getting into the series, and I was deal
with health issues again, so I just needed to fully immerse
myself in the game (without having to take notes about every
thing). After my new computer arrived last year, I've also
been spending more time flying flightsims, now that I own a
computer that can run them well. My current flightsim focus
is Prepa3D, which is now the main focus of my
Flightsim Journal.

Over the past month or so, I've been trying to
figure out what I wanted to focus on next here, or if it was
time for me to just give up and shut down this site. I
briefly considered the latter, but there's a big part of me
that needs to share my passions, so I knew that if I did
became passionate about a new game, that I really wanted to
share it with my online friends, by creating a new website
journal.

When I asked myself what I was looking for, I immediately
knew that it had to be another RPG, but I also knew that it
had to be a game that was totally different from all the
other RPGs I had focused on. I had really enjoyed Mass
Effect, even though I was often frustrated because I didn't
have nearly the freedom that I had with Bethesda's games.
But I have also really been enjoying flying around in
Prepar3D's virtual world, where I have the freedom to fly
anywhere on the planet . . . I just wish that P3D also
included some actual RPG aspects, so that I could get more
immersed in my flights. If I could just find a RPG that gave
me the immersion of Mass Effect (where I was attached to my
character), along with the shear amount of exploration
freedom that I have when flying P3D, I would be in gamer's
heaven.

Then I actually stumbled upon two new games which seemed to
be exactly what I was looking for: Elite Dangerous and Star
Citizen. The only problems were that both of these games are
still in development, and I needed to decide which one that
I wanted to focus on. After reading a ton about both games,
I finally decided that Star Citizen was the best fit for me.
The more I learned about this game, the more excited I
became. And it has been a very long time since I have felt
this passionate about a game that is being developed.

Don't worry, I'm not going to abandon all my other journals
just yet. For one thing, Star Citizen isn't going to be
released until 2016. And I still have some unfinished work
to compete in my Fallout journals . . . and my FONV Realism
Tweaks mod still needs at least one more minor update. I
just wanted to let you all know that my main focus is now on
Star Citizen, and that is where I'll be spending most of my
time.

Note: If
you're interested in following my Star Citizen journey, you
can now grab a shuttle to my
Star Citizen Journal.
[I only recently arrived in this sector, so there's not too
much to see until I can expand my base beyond my hangar.
Hopefully I can have some new areas opened by sometime next
week.]

Site
Information/Index

Home- (this page) My home page, and my Website's
main page. This is my site's introduction and
information page, and the rest of my site branches
out from here.

(updated
10/11/14): Previously I only covered Microsoft Flight, but my new focus is
on Lockheed Martin's Prepar3D. Includes a new
Flightsim Home Page, an updated MS Flight section, and a brand new
Prepar3D section (which already includes its own tips page). I'm currently
working on P3D Add-Ons and Navigation pages.

Miscellaneous Section

Bio Page(updated 03/12/13): A bit about me and my life (only
because so many asked). Now in an easier to read
format on a single page.

My Custom
Gaming Computer
(updated 09/03/13): In case you're interested in
what I am playing my games on. My computer is
the portal that I use to enter the fantasy world of
computer games. It is also my medium that I use in
creating my mods (and my website). It is basically a
tool . . . but it is a very important tool. When you
use the right tool, it becomes an extension of
yourself . . . but when you use a tool that was not
made for the task you are trying to do, you'll
likely spend a lot of time being frustrated. For
years I struggled with a computer that wasn't very
good at running many games; plus my old computer
wasn't very dependable. So before I ordered a
new computer in late July 2013, I did my homework.

Arwen's Realm(always current): I've been running my own forum
since April 25, 2004, as an extension of my website.
The main focus was originally around Morrowind, which later
became Oblivion (Elder Scrolls IV), and then expanded to
include a section devoted to Fallout 3 and Fallout New
Vegas. The latest addition is a Skyrim section (TES V).

So my forums have grown and morphed quite a bit since
they began. And there were a LOT of growing pains -
including huge problems with the board's original host.
In January 2007 I found a much more dependable host and I
completely redesigned my forums (yet again).

This time I renamed them
Arwen's Realm, and I set up the forums as sort
of a virtual community, with categories that are like
buildings or areas within a community. We have a
Community Center, a Media Portal, The Campus, the Gaming
Portal, The Park, and the member's only Chat Room.

When we moved to the new host, we lost most of our members.
So we're a small, but very friendly online community . . .
and we would love you to stop by and visit us (and perhaps
even join our little community).

Skyrim was released on 11/11/11 (when my own copy arrived), but I
was pretty unhappy with it. In my opinion, the best part of a RPG is
being able to customize your character, which includes the stats
that give your character her strengths and weaknesses. This
was pretty much gutted from Skyrim, as Attributes were for the most
part eliminated (as part of the decision to remove limitations from
your character . . . to mainstream the game). This pretty much
ruined Skyrim for me. I've also had a bunch of computer issues
since early December, so I haven't even played the game all that
much yet.

My Skyrim Journal does now include a modding
section, but I no longer have any plans for anything beyond that . .
. until I replace my current computer with one that will run the
game, without slowing down to a slide show in every village, or when
there are any number of NPCs or creatures nearby. [And I won't be
able to replace my computer until I recover from my latest medical
expenses, and am able to save up for one again. That won't likely
happen until next year.]

Fallout New Vegas is a RPG and is basically a continuation of Fallout
3 (I'm using virtually the same character that I created in
FO3, and used a face importer utility so that she even looks
the same.) Fallout New Vegas
was developed by Obsidian
Entertainment and
published by Bethesda
Softworks: "While
New Vegas is not a direct sequel, it will use the same engine and be in the same
style as Fallout 3, and is being developed by some of the people who worked on
previous Fallout games at Black Isle Studios. It is set in and around
post-apocalyptic Las Vegas (New Vegas)."

My New Vegas Fantasy story is called "Trials
of a New Vegas Girl," but it still doesn't include much at all (and I'm
probably going to discontinue it altogether, as I just have too many
other things that I need to be focusing on). [This is currently on
hold, indefinitely.]

I expanded my modding to include Fallout New Vegas and
created my second overhaul mod . . . my NV Realism Tweaks (which was
a bit crazy, since I was still releasing updates for my FO3 overhaul
).

I
am currently focusing mostly on Fallout 3, as this is the game that I am
now playing (I just reinstalled Fallout 3 and began a new game on April
14, 2013), and am now updating
the older chapters of my "Trials of
a Wasteland Wanderer" as I play my game. So
expect new chapters to be posted in the very near future.

My Fallout 3 character, right
after escaping from Vault 101

Fallout is a RPG that takes place in the future .
. . 200 years after civilization was nearly destroyed by a
nuclear war. My journal has
only been online since March 2, 2009, but until I graduated
from my university in the end of May, my journal was mostly
just my
Mod
Section and my
Fallout Tips Section. After returning home, I
began writing the
Trials of
a Wasteland Wanderer, which is the name of my Fallout
3 fantasy story.This time my character won't
be a Wood Elf . . . but I'm sure she'll be as quirky as ever
(since she'll be based on me again . . . since I am the one
actually playing the game, and making all the decisions).

A large part of my Fallout 3 Journal will always be my
mod list/review. So at the end of each chapter is my
Gaming Comments and Tips section - where I explain how
specific mods have added to my gaming
experience for the gameplay that was covered in that
chapter. There is also a section on role-playing,
where I explain some of my role-playing techniques that have
made the game more immersive for me. My primary goal
in writing this journal is to help other players make Fallout 3
into a better gaming
experience.

Fallout 3 was the first game that I really modded . .
. and I went a bit overboard by creating an overhaul mod . .
. my Realism Tweaks (which is NOT something that I would
recommend doing on your own . . . especially if you are just
learning how to mod).

This was my second RPG journal, which went online in March
of 2006, and includes an extensive Mod List / Review for the
game.

It also contains my Oblivion fantasy story,
which is titled "Trials of a Semi-Clueless Wood Elf."
It is the direct sequel to my
Morrowind Journal, so it follows the adventures of my same
little blue-eyed Wood Elf character . . . yes, the one
with the wild pinkish-purple hair (based on my little avatar
elf).

This is Elder Scrolls IV, and is a RPG.
The story takes place in Cyrodiil, which is the capital
province of Tamriel. Even though this is obviously a
fantasy story, it will be built upon my actual game play. So
I don't really know how this adventure will turn out, any
more than the rest of you.

Now completely reformatted to match
the rest of my site (along with a new final chapter). This was my first RPG journal,
which went online in May 2002, shortly after the game was
released. Morrowind is a
computer role-playing game,
and is also known as Elder Scrolls III. My fantasy
story is called "Trials of a Clueless Wood Elf"
and it is based on my experiences while I was playing my first RPG. There are
33 chapters, plus a tips page and a MOD page. My
fantasy story continues in my Oblivion Journal.

A bit
about being a girl gamer and some of my favorite games.
As a real life survivor (see my Bio Section), my favorite
games are ones where you have to battle against the odds to
survive . . . which is why the newest Tomb Raider game has
really caught my attention (its game
trailer is now in the video section). Most of my
own mods are extreme realism mods, that make survival much
move challenging.

My latest game section covers
DreamFall Chapters . . . the long awaited third game
in "The Longest Journey" Saga, which just wrapped up a very
successful Kickstarter fund raising campaign.

There's also a new "Games to Watch" section, which
includes Remember Me,
a new cyberpunk adventure game; "Banished,"a
game that I recently discovered, which is planned to be released
within a few months; and
Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation HD, which has just been
confirmed, and is planned to be released in early 2014..

When I first started writing my Morrowind Journal, I began to get a lot of email, from all over the world. Many people just wanted to let me know that they loved reading my journal. But I also received plenty of questions, mostly about the game (see my
Morrowind Journal), but many people wanted to know more about me. Here are the questions I have been asked the most:

Where do you live?
I live in a small town in Northern New Hampshire, which is a small state in the Northeastern corner of the United States. (see my
White Mountains page for more).

Why did you start a personal Website?Because I'm a creative person, and one day I just decided to learn how to make my own
website. You still won't find a single photo of me here, because
this was never intended to be a personal vanity page. It's not
a blog . . . and it was never meant to be about me. This is a place for me to share
my passions.

What do you do besides writing your journals and running this website?Well, I do all sorts of stuff - in fact, I NEVER seem to have enough time to keep up with things (as you should know, if you've been waiting for my update here). I've also had to deal with a lot of medical problems and several major operations in recent years, but I'm currently doing mostly ok and am physically very fit. I cross county ski and snowshoe in the winter, and for the last few years, I've been doing a great deal of kayaking in the warmer months (mid April through early November), paddling over
several hundred miles each year. I also love to hike.

I was finally able to attend college a few years ago
. . . and graduated in 2009 from Roger Williams University (RWU) - a private university in Rhode Island,
with a BS in Legal Studies (and a double major in Political Science),
where I was on the varsity sailing team (even though I was
literally twice the age of all my teammates and had never even set foot in a sailboat before
attending RWU). My team finished my last season ranked as the #3 college
sailing team in North America. I'm on full disability, but am
trying my best to find employment (which was of course the main
reason for going to college), but it has been extremely difficult to
find any one that is willing to give me a chance, since I have like
no work experience (and I do have some major issues - which is
why I'm on disability). Oh . . . I'm also writing a book (which has been pretty much on hold since I became a full-time college student).
I also graduated in May 2007 from New Hampshire Technical Institute, with
an Associate's degree in Paralegal Studies.

How old are you?
(Goodness, I get this one a bunch!)
I'm older than most people guess. Ok, so that means that I must not act my age. But that's not entirely true, because I do act my age, I just don't act my biological age. Due to something that happened to me when I was very little (which is not even actually covered in
my Bio Pages), my perceived age is quite a bit younger than my chronological age. Fortunately I also look younger than my biological age (although not as young as my perceived age . . . sigh). And I'm in GREAT shape
(which constantly amazes my doctors), so in reality my age is pretty unclear . . . even to me. It was not possible for me to attend college until just a few years ago, so even though I'm a college student, I'm a non-tradition one
(as in older). Ok, so I've never been what you would call ordinary. (Yeah, I know . . . I still didn't actually answer the question.

Here are some of my current favorite YouTube videos, that I wanted to share
with you:

If I had
the resources, I would make a RPG based on "The
Hunger Games."

To me, this would make an awesome first-person RPG . . . your character
would be one of the tributes from one of the 12 Districts, and there
could be totally different arenas . . . for the different years/Hunger
Games. You would then select your character's unique strengths and
weaknesses (their Stats). Ideally, you would begin the game in
your selected District, where you could interact with the other
characters, before you are picked as a tribute. The Capital could
be the training/tutorial part of the game, and your performance there
would determine how much help (gifts) you later receive from any
sponsors. Official
"Hunger Games" Website.

"Revolution" is a new TV series that I'm
actually looking
forward to this Fall.

I
read James Howard Kunstler's "World
Made by Hand" in college, in my environmental political science
class, and was so impressed with it that I later used it as my selection
in my book group. The series is not based on the
novel, but they both deal with a world where technology has been lost,
and where you have to revert to the old ways to survive. Official NBC
"Revolution" Website.

Bretton Woods XC- This is the Nordic Center, where I do most of my cross country skiing. It's one of the largest xc centers in the Eastern US, with a 100 kilometer trail system.

Outback Kayak -
A family run kayak store/adventure tours in NH White Mountains - This is where I bought my kayak and took my white water kayak lessons.

Squam Lake Association -Conservation group for the preservation of my favorite place to kayak. The two Squam Lakes consist of 65 miles of shoreline, 30 islands, 13 reefs, 20 coves, and 3 bays, so this is a wonderful place to explore in a kayak.